Crews from Bosley Construction tear down a house along Franklin Street in Marietta Wednesday as ground is being cleared for the new Marietta Riverside Project that will include a new corporate headquarters for Par Mar Oil Company. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Work has begun clearing out the site on the west side of Marietta where the new Marietta Riverside Project will house the new corporate headquarters for the ParMar Oil Company.

Crews from Bosley Construction were tearing down houses and removing debris this week preparing the ground for site work that will lead to the construction of the $8-$10 million facility.

Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher said the project has been in the works since 2019 and has involved finding a new parking lot for Peoples Bank and other hurdles that had to be crossed. The site includes the former Peoples Bank parking lot at Franklin Street and Putnam Avenue in the city’s fourth ward as well as a number of homes that were bought to be torn down.

“They have the whole block,” he said. “They are getting ready to move dirt and do site prep.

“We are very excited.”

Crews from Bosley Construction were tearing down houses and removing debris this week preparing the ground for site work that will lead to the construction of the new Marietta Riverside Project. The project is being built in the block surrounded by Putnam Avenue, Gillman Avenue, Lancaster Street and Franklin Street in the city’s fourth ward on the west side of town. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

The block is bordered by Franklin Street, Lancaster Street, Gilman Avenue and Putnam Avenue near the Putnam Bridge. The mayor said a lot of infrastructure is in place. It needed to be reorganized to accommodate the new structures being built there.

Schlicher said there will be around 18,000 cubic yards of dirt brought in to raise portions of the property to get it out of the floodplain. Parts of the property will have to be raised 1-4 feet, he said.

“They are making the whole block level,” Schlicher said.

The new corporate offices for the Par Mar Oil Company (and Par Mar stores/gas stations) will be built on the site as well as a new store. The space will also include green space and more.

“It will be a good addition to the area,” the mayor said, adding it is projected to accommodate 80-100 jobs.

Crews from Bosley Construction remove debris as seen from Lancaster Street as they clear out the land in the city’s fourth ward for the $8-$10 million Marietta Riverside Project where the new corporate headquarters for ParMar Oil Company. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“The city is very excited,” Schlicher said of a whole block in the city being developed and will be creating jobs. “There will be services that will be brought to the citizens in that area.

“It is a big positive change for that side of the river.”

The mayor did not know when construction of the new facility might begin.

Marietta Development Director Geoff Schenkel could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

A company representative at the ParMar corporate offices in Marietta Wednesday said the company was not prepared yet to comment on the work, but the company president would reach out and comment when he was ready to do so.

Phone messages left for Brian Waugh, ParMar President, both Tuesday and Wednesday had not been returned.